tools of the trade
As a student, I find that I have little time and loads of work to do, so I like to streamline my workflow. Part of that streamlining process is my hub to the digital world - my Tablet PC, a pimped out Toshiba Tecra M4 running the latest Windows Vista build.
I strongly believe in the formfactor of Tablet PCs and I expect them to be the standard amongst students in about 5 years - well, I hope so anyway and if prices go down, that might just happen.
Financial issues aside, I know that I’ve had a better learning experience last year because of my Tablet PC. Thanks to applications like Microsoft OneNote 2007 (currently in beta testing), I’m able to take notes during classes. I don’t have to worry about bringing the right set of pens or markers with me, OneNote 2007 (and 2003 too, naturally) has it all. Other great features include the ability to transform ink into text (which tends to work even with my chicken scribble) or enhance an image to make the text inside that image (!) searchable. And if you’re too lazy to write yourself, just take audio notes and listen to the session at your earliest convenience. Feel like sharing your notes? Just export to a PDF and share it with any Windows or Mac user.
Apart from OneNote 2007, I also strongly depend on Outlook 2007, which basically handles my day. Once it’s sync’ed with my Smartphone, I can always see which class is coming up next and where I ought to be. Doesn’t get much easier than that.
No matter what you study nowadays, chances are that you’re gonna use the internet. A good browsing experience is key and as such, I prefer to use Firefox. I don’t dislike Internet Explorer or anything, I’m just a lot more satisfied with the features Firefox offers me.
Studying is no fun if you can’t socialize and since everyone prefers to use a different network (be it MSN, ICQ, Y!, AOL or Skype), I went with Trillian a few years ago and haven’t looked back once. Trillian is truly the hub of my online life, showing me the information I need (Wikipedia integration, information about Timezones for people from abroad) and enabling me to chat without being annoyed by ads about dating sites or car insurance policies.
Apart from those four, there’s also Adode Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash, as well as Photoshop and Illustrator. Couldn’t live without any of those really, but the first four, I believe should be installed on any student PC - that is, if you’re serious about getting good grades.